Friends of the Earth: Press Release: Keep Our Water Public

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Keep Our Water Public

30 Nov 2001

Media Briefing
November 2001

KEEP OUR WATER PUBLIC!

International Freshwater Conference: Bonn

Friends of the Earth (FOE) will be calling on the United Nations to keep public water services out of private hands of the private sector, at the International Conference on Freshwater in Bonn next week(3-7 December 2001). Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and other NGOs [1] will be running a side event “Water for Human Needs - in Accordance with Natural Ecosystems. Preserve Water Services in Public Responsibility” on Wednesday 5th at 17:30-19:30.

A report by FOE, due to be released next week, will show the appalling record of the world's water companies. These companies are amongst the worst polluters and have a string of convictions and allegations for bribery, corruption and sleaze. They are not fit to be given control of the world's water. Water privatisation by Western companies in the developing world has so far benefited only the companies' shareholders, leaving people and the environment high and dry. Handing water services over to the private sector has left local people with a decline in service coupled with prices so high they can no longer afford water [2].

At the conference, international business lobbyists the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will be representing business interests including most of the world's largest water companies. These groups have recognised that “there is no inherent reason why the public sector cannot deliver services as effectively as can the private sector”. [3] But they cannot resist the opportunity to make some money from this potentially lucrative sector regardless of the impacts on communities and the environment.

Notes

1. Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung, Netzwerk Unser Wasser, Hamburger Wasserwerke, World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), BUND, Grüne Liga
2. Stealing Our Water, Friends of the Earth November 2001. Available athttp://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/gats_stealing_water.pdf
3. United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development, International Conference on Freshwater Bonn,Germany, 3-5 December 2001. Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Discussion paper contributed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Contact details:

Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ

Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html

Media team